Archival research is a solitary but satisfying experience, The very nature of the work demands a painstaking exambation of documents. Everyone working at an archive pursues his individual topic with the persistence of a physical scientist who spends long hours peering through the lens of his microscopz. In busy research centers such as the Federal Archives at Koblenz, a spirit of camaraderie may develop among the researchers, but most of the day is spent in self-directed study. Just holding the original documents and perusing private correspondence can be an engaging experience best understood perhaps by arm-chair detectives, voyeurs and paper fetishists.
